Welcome to the Jungle
by Rusty Halos
Summary: GossipGirl-esque!AU. Clyne, Yamato, Zala, & Athha are the most popular kids in a school full of popular kids. The Academy only accepts you if you're too rich, too beautiful, & your name is as blue as Zala's hair. It's where those with the universe at their feet drink, party, fck & fck up...until one of their own decides to spill their secrets. M for sex, drugs, rock & roll. REPOST
1. Chapter 1, Part 1

**Welcome to the Jungle**

By Rusty Halos

* * *

A/N: This is work I've previously posted a few years back; it got deleted during the site's rampage on M-rated fics. At the request of etsa, I've decided to resuscitate it and cross my fingers that this time, it'll live. It appears below unedited and unchanged from its original incarnation, so please excuse any errors and general bad writing.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable.

Rated M for sex, drugs, and rock & roll (along with a healthy serving of bad language).

* * *

_Welcome to the jungle  
We got fun 'n' games  
We got everything you want  
Honey we know the names  
We are the people that can find  
Whatever you may need  
If you got the money honey  
We got your disease_

-Welcome to the Jungle, Guns N' Roses

* * *

** CHAPTER ONE, PART ONE**

Welcome to the Jungle, Baby

* * *

From an anonymous, new column in the City's _Chronicle_, entitled "Scandalous, Isn't It?":

"…and of course, there is the famous—or infamous—Archangel Academy. From the time of its founding, only the wealthiest families in the world have been able to send its heirs there. It is a literal world away from any other, an elite society that a precious few are a part of. Those that are members go on to become oil barons, rulers of countries, world-famous models, and the like. The students are, almost without exception, devastatingly beautiful (thanks in part to expensive gene manipulation), devastatingly rich, and devastatingly bored. The City itself is their toy. No law is too high to break and laugh off, no stunt is too ludicrous to pull, no car too expensive, no party too wild. You can't be too rich, too famous, or too beautiful for them. Partying from dusk till dawn, and looking glamorous all the while, is their forte. Sex, drugs, and alcohol—there is no poison they don't embrace heartily. School? What school? Very few care at all about their grades, or put in any effort whatsoever, and yet, they end up with perfect report cards anyways (half due to further gene manipulation, and half due to more conventional methods of bribing the teachers). They are a breed apart, and to outsiders, they are to be envied, the epitome of those that have had everything handed to them on a silver plate. But who's at the center of it all? Who are those that even the Archangel students are jealous of? The popular kids in a school full of popular kids? You may have heard of them—Kira Yamato, heir to Yamato Corp., the mega-company that's revolutionized technology ever since they patented the first robotic OS, a technological child prodigy that can work as hard as he plays. His twin sister, Cagalli Yula Atha, adopted daughter of Lord Uzumi Nara Atha, the beloved ruler of the nation of Orb, who will fulfill her father's duties one day, and who has already partaken in politics. Lady Lacus Clyne, daughter of Lord Councilman Siegel Clyne, head of the government of Scandinavia, and a pop phenomenon. And last, but certainly not least—Lord Athrun Zala, son of Lord Patrick Zala, head of the government of Germany, whose chiseled face graced the cover of LithiumSports magazine just last month and who has been bombarded with modeling offers ever since, though word is that he has declined all of them. These four, and their elite group of friends, are the very center of the Archangel universe, and their parents hold the power to shape our world. They are the most beautiful among the beautiful and the richest among the rich, and their circle puts the exclusivity of Archangel to shame. And how do I know all this, you ask? Because I'm one of them, an Archangel student. I've become disillusioned with the illustrious parties and my illustrious peers, and as a result, I'm out to air all their dirty laundry to you, my dear readers."

* * *

The sleek, shiny black Lamborghini streaked through the streets of the City, going at least twice the speed limit, and garnering both admiring and disparaging glances. The driver obviously knew what he was doing, and, equally as obvious, had an affinity for showcasing his skills; the car kept making hairpin turns, burning rubber brutally under the artificial light exuding from all sides, from the entrances of upscale restaurants and bars and clubs. It wove dangerously in and out of the light traffic that filled the streets at this time of day, when evening had just given way to true night. The car turned the corner onto Aprilius Avenue, the very center of the City, congested by the extremely rich, the extremely beautiful, and the extremely famous (and their adoring fans). It screeched loudly to a halt outside a giant cube-like building, five stories high and just as wide, where a horde of people were gathered, pressed against the velvet ropes that guarded the entrance, a giant, tinted glass door, and that extended to section off the curb directly in front of the building. Two tall men in crisp black suits, the club's bouncers, immediately appeared besides the car, and opened the wing-like doors with a flourish. The crowd behind the velvet ropes eagerly pressed forward, the noise level swelling as they chattered amongst themselves, some even lifting up their cameras, eager to get a glimpse of whoever was getting out of the car.

One long, slender, lily-white leg, clad in a white stiletto, extended from the back seat of the car. A moment later, a tall, lean, man with sexily messy chocolate brown hair and a pair of aviator sunglasses perched on his nose slid out of the passenger seat, dressed in a beaten black high-collared leather jacket over a faded dark purple tee and leather pants that, on any one else, would look ridiculous instead of endearingly careless. The man withdrew from the back seat an elegant hand, and carefully helped a beautiful, petite woman wearing white stilettos out of the sleek car. She was clad in a strapless dress of the palest pink silk that hugged every perfect curve until it reached her waist, where it blossomed out to a full skirt of white tulle that ended just above her knees. Hair fell in mesmerizing pink waves down to the small of her back, held away from her angelic face and huge cerulean blue eyes by a golden pin shaped like a crescent moon. Her flawless alabaster skin seemed to glow subtly under the floodlights that illuminated the red carpet. Delicate pink lips kissed the brunette man's cheek in thanks for his help, and in exchange, he lifted her hand briefly to his mouth. The crowd was really roaring now, having recognized the couple by the woman's trademark pink locks.

"Is that….? No WAY!""Kiiirraaa! Kira Yamato! Lady Lacus!"

"_Wait till Sis hears that she missed seeing Kira Yamato and—,"_

"_Lacus Clyne! LADY CLYNE! Look over here! I loved your new album! It was so—,"_

"Romantic! He kissed her hand, did you see that?! They're so cute together!"

The couple made their way to the middle of the red carpet, where they stood, waiting for the other occupants of the sports car, the brunette shoving his sunglasses up into his hair, revealing eyes colored an intense shade of purple.

The driver's door of the car popped open as the crowd chattered in anticipation, already knowing who was going to emerge next. Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne were hardly ever seen without—

"Athrun! It's Athrun Zala!""Oh my GOD, ATHRUN ZALA!""ATHRUN, I LOVE YOU!"

A handsome man, a little taller than his brunette best friend, with chin length navy blue hair stepped out of the car, shaking hair out of eyes hidden behind dark, square shades. He was dressed in a crisp white dress-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and tailored black slacks. An emerald green silk tie was draped, untied, around his neck, and the crowd could see a necklace with a dusty pink stone on the end bouncing against his chest as he moved, for the top two buttons of his shirt were carelessly left undone. The blue-haired man abruptly vaulted over the hood of the car with cat-like grace, landing soundlessly on the sidewalk of the club, and every woman—and some men—in the crowd screamed their appreciation. The man, however, was looking at someone else. He leant inside the car, and, after a moment, appeared again, lifting a blonde woman out of the vehicle before gently setting her down on the sidewalk. The slender blonde whipped her short hair, left flowing free except for an orange flower tucked behind her ear, out of her doll-like face, and glared with stunningly amber eyes at the man, who gave a little shrug, a smile lingering at the corners of his mouth. He offered her his arm, and the woman reluctantly took it, which caused him to really smile down at her. She didn't notice, however, being too busy pulling a men's black tuxedo jacket over her skintight, low-cut sea green silk dress, which ended at least four inches above her knees.

"It's the Princess of Orb!"

"_Cagalli! Lady Cagalli!"_

"_Long live the Princess!"_

The navy-haired man and the pretty blonde woman made their way to where the brunette and the pink-haired woman were waiting patiently. The foursome made their way, amid cheers and screams, to the doors, where the guards bowed them inside the darkened interior of Club Copernicus.

* * *

The best seats in the house were on the fifth floor, on a small balcony jutting out over the dance floor that covered the first story. It was occupied entirely by a single table.

Princess Cagalli Yula Atha exhaled lazily as a ring of smoke spiraled above her head. She was sitting near the railing, observing the packed floors of the club, watching people gyrate to a catchy techno-esque beat loud enough to shake the glass in the windows. It was smoky, hot, and noisy inside.

Everywhere you turned was a different famous face, a wealthy steel baron surrounded by trashy, stick thin models here, the heir to a shipping empire downing shot after shot there, and the hot new actress dancing dirty on the floor next to her hunky co-star. This club was going to be the It place of the decade, and Cagalli knew that by tomorrow, pictures of the rich and beautiful looking absolutely trashed would be plastered over every tabloid. For most people, reading those tabloids was the closest they'd get to partying here; the club had a strict door policy: if you weren't deemed powerful, beautiful, or famous enough, you were turned out without a second glance.

The blonde carelessly snubbed her cigarette out under her orange stilettos on the brand new carpeting, and reached for one of the glasses of vodka on the table. Before she could take it, though, another hand lifted it away, and across from her, Kira Yamato downed the clear liquid in one shot.

Her twin brother grinned mischievously at her, his boyishly handsome face partially hidden under his untamable hair.

"Kiirraaa…" she whined. "I needed that a lot more than you. I'm dead bored; this club is same old, same old."

"Shit, you don't think I feel like that too, C?" he asked.

"Well, I'm older," she retorted.

"So you think," interjected Athrun Zala lazily, his arm resting on the seat above Cagalli's shoulders. He took a drag of his cigarette.

Cagalli glared at her boyfriend, eyes fiery, then let a sly grin wrap around her plush lips. "Don't doubt me, A." She leaned over to whisper hotly into his ear. "You might regret it later."

Athrun let out a low chuckle, and she could feel it rumble through his chest under her hand. "I apologize then, _hime_. Have mercy."

Kira watched them through narrowed eyes as he popped open another bottle of expensive champagne, and took a chug directly from it. Athrun was his best friend, but if they started going at it in front of him…

"Pour me some of that, won't you Kira?" came a sweet voice, and Lacus Clyne slid back into the seat next to him, giving him a smile.

Kira smiled back, and immediately poured champagne into two flutes.

"Cheers, beautiful," he said affectionately.

He gave one to her, and the two toasted before knocking down the alcohol expertly. Lacus was angelic and innocent only when she chose to be, and Kira admired her for always knowing exactly how to act, which personality to put on.

"Kira, milady, _hime_, Athrun," came a deep smoker's voice, and Dearka Elsman pulled up a chair to their table, straddling it and snagging a pack of ciggies. His blonde hair was, unusually, in disarray, and his fine black dress shirt was buttoned up haphazardly. His lavender eyes closed in his handsome, tan face as he lit up and exhaled.

"Ahhhh…" he said contentedly. One hand was fiddling with his expensive gold watch, which Athrun knew was a nervous habit. The navy-haired man also knew that meant Miriallia Haww, Dearka's ex-girlfriend, was somewhere nearby. Ever since the pretty redheaded model had dumped the lavender-eyed blonde, he had been jumpy and uncharacteristically ill groomed.

"So where's Mir?" asked Kira, with a glint of mischief in his eyes, obviously having come to the same conclusion as his best friend. "I didn't know she would be here tonight, I thought she was out with Sai."

"Sai? Sai Argyle?" said Dearka, straightening up, eyes narrowing. "She's going out with that moron?"

Kira merely shrugged, and Lacus giggled, but refused to answer when Dearka looked to her for help.

"She is," confirmed Cagalli, sharing an evil look with her twin. "She told me yesterday, after they had—,"

"After they had _what_?" Dearka nearly growled, half-standing out of his chair.

"Had dinner," said the princess innocently, breathing out a cloud of smoke in Dearka's face.

Sullenly, Dearka sat back down, and swigged some of Kira's champagne. Athrun rolled his eyes at Dearka's antics, but decided to give his friend some peace of mind. The redhead had enough power over the blonde as it was.

"Anyway," he drawled, "They wouldn't have been able to do anything less than innocent, Argyle's been confined to the dorms, remember? And the R.A. has the ears of a fucking hawk. We would've heard about it if he'd gotten into more trouble."

"That's right," said Dearka, mollified. "That idiot went and got caught smoking a joint, didn't he? I bet it was his first time too, poor fucker."

"Which idiot?" asked a new voice, and a tall, slim girl with brilliantly turquoise eyes and bright red hair that flipped out cutely at the ends appeared at the table, dressed to kill in a teal, lacy minidress. A tall, lanky boy with a shock of spiky orange hair and orange glasses, dressed in a tight olive green shirt and faded designer jeans was with her, his arm possessively around her tiny waist.

"No one," said Dearka darkly, avoiding looking at either of the newcomers, instead taking another drag.

"What're you doing here, Sai?" asked Kira, pushing his chair back to stand on two legs, and curiously examining his old friend, whom he almost never spoke with anymore. "I thought you were confined to the dorms."

"I broke out," the bespectacled boy said, rather proudly.

"Oh please," Dearka muttered loudly. "The security's a fucking joke, he probably just walked out."

Cagalli snorted into her drink. Athrun stood up, already knowing where this conversation was going, and took another a swig of vodka. He leaned down to whisper into his girlfriend's ear.

"Dance with me, Princess." He played his trump card, his lips finding the sweet spot just behind her ear, where the orange flower was tucked. She gave a soft moan, but refused to give up without a fight.

"Only if you don't call me Princess," she said defiantly, her amber eyes burning into his emerald ones.

"Deal."

He pulled her off her chair and into his arms, gave a nod to Kira, Lacus, and the others, and they were off.

Sai slipped into Athrun's vacant seat, next to Dearka's, and pulled a slightly reluctant Miriallia into his lap, giving Dearka a rather pointed glare.

Dearka was having quite the difficult time with the situation, and was keeping a death grip on the bottle of champagne, eyes burning holes into the table.

Lacus felt warm breath at her ear. "L, wanna enjoy the show or find fun elsewhere?" Kira asked quietly, his purple eyes softening when they met hers.

"Hmmm…" she pondered. "Well, will Dearka need to be restrained at some point? Because I'm sure Mir would prefer it if Sai continued to live."

"Yeah, I can't really give him the odds of coming out better in a fight with Dearka," Kira said, scratching his head. "We should probably stick around then."

"I think I'm going to need more champagne," the beautiful pink-haired girl said delicately, and Kira laughed and obliged.

* * *

The crowd, a good number of them Academy students, seemed to melt away from their path as Cagalli and Athrun headed towards the very center of the first story dance floor, quite a feat as everybody was packed tightly together, skin on skin, gyrating wildly to the pulsing music.

Athrun had Cagalli by the hand as he sauntered through the dancers, and once they reached their goal, he pulled her smoothly into his arms, locking them around her waist so that there was hardly any space between them.

"Zala, you idiot, this isn't a slow song," murmured Cagalli, though she tucked her golden head under his chin and wrapped her arms around his neck. The background noise, everything but the hard beat of the music, seemed to fade away as she listened to the rhythm of his heart, matching it to the undercurrent of the song. They were swaying gently, connected at the hips, ignoring the other dancers, who were throwing them curious looks, though a few had started dancing slowly too, probably thinking that it would be a new fad by the end of the night since Athrun Zala and Cagalli Yula Atha were doing it.

"I don't care very much, personally, C," he said into her ear, and she shuddered a little. "But if you want…" He backed up a little away from her.

"Come back here," she growled, and he laughed lazily, a contented look in his emerald green eyes as he obliged her, pressing her to him even closer than before.

"You're such a tease," the blonde whispered mischievously. "I'm going to have to do something about that." She ground her hips hard against his, her hands sliding from around his neck to play with the buttons of his shirt.

Athrun groaned, and clutched her even closer. "You don't play fair, C."

Cagalli merely gave him a sultry smile and pressed her lips to the underside of his jaw, a spot that she knew would get him. Sure enough, he groaned again, closing his eyes briefly and clenching his jaw. "Who, me?" she breathed.

His eyes flew open, and the intense shade of green fairly burned her.

"Yes…you," he whispered, so close that she could feel his breath on her lips.

She felt him cup her chin with one hand, and then his lips were on hers, and their tongues were battling fiercely, and she was tasting his familiar taste and breathing in the scent of cigarette smoke and spicy aftershave and something that she could never quite place.

"Hmmm…" she murmured seductively when they broke apart for air, her eyes half closed, their golden color warm, as she tilted back her head to look at him. "I think we should find some place a little more…private."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Please shoot me some feedback! I've still got the chapters of my original story, and if there's some interest, I'll post (or re-post, as the case may be). Thanks for reading :)


	2. Chapter 1, Part 2

**Welcome to the Jungle**

_Scandalous, Isn't It?_

By RH

Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable.

Rated M for sex, drugs, and rock and roll (along with a healthy serving of bad language).

* * *

_Welcome to the jungle  
We got fun 'n' games  
We got everything you want  
Honey we know the names  
We are the people that can find  
Whatever you may need  
If you got the money honey  
We got your disease_

-Welcome to the Jungle, Guns N' Roses

* * *

** CHAPTER ONE, PART TWO**

Welcome to the Jungle, Baby

* * *

After glaring stonily at the table and swigging more alcohol than he should for about fifteen minutes, Dearka announced that he was going to go down to the bar when Mir and Sai started to kiss, and took off like a rocket. The blonde's voice had been shaking with barely suppressed fury, and Kira was impressed that he had been able to exert enough self-control to remove himself from the premises instead of grounding a fist in Sai's face, especially since Dearka was at least a little tipsy. Though Dearka was normally level-headed and preferred to show his anger through snide remarks and biting sarcasm, Miriallia had always been a sore spot for him, and he lost his head when it came to the red-head.

Kira exchanged an amused look with Lacus as Mir broke apart from Sai the moment Dearka left and reached for a glass of bubbly sitting on the table. Sai, looking rather lost for a moment, hastily grabbed a drink too, a bottle of vodka. Mir expertly downed her drink, but when Sai tried to copy her, he choked and spluttered. Without even looking, Mir handed him a handkerchief, and he thanked her, mopping himself up, though his cheeks flamed bright red.

Kira sighed. Sai had always been this way, trying to imitate what he thought was cool and always ending up blundering everything. He bet Sai had hardly ever tasted anything as hard as vodka before, and definitely had never tried to down it so fast. Mir hadn't seem shocked at his accident at all, only resigned, so he must've been doing similar things for a while.

Sai excused himself to go to the bathroom and clean himself up further, and when he left, Mir flopped down onto a different chair and sighed a little.

"What's wrong?" asked Lacus gently, though Kira could see the shrewd understanding in her eyes.

"Sai," Mir said flatly, starting to look for a smoke. Dearka's bad habit had rubbed off on her during the time they were together, and she made no attempt to stop now that they had broken up.

"Sai what?" prodded the pink-haired girl. Kira knew he wasn't to say anything, and instead silently handed a smoldering cigarette to his friend.

Miriallia thanked him before answering his girlfriend. "Well…I think I may have moved a little too fast."

"Was going out with someone new a bad idea?" asked Lacus.

"Well…not that, exactly." Mir looked the faintest bit uncomfortable. "I didn't want it to look like I was pining after _him_, so…well…once Sai heard we'd broken up, he asked me, and I've known him since we were little, and like I said, I didn't want _him_ to think I was missing him…"

Miriallia trailed off and took a drag of her cigarette. Kira smiled. He knew plenty of girls who would have no qualms using a guy friend to get back at an ex, but Mir had never been like that.

"I see," said Lacus, satisfied that she had guessed correctly. "Perhaps it is a little too much for revenge?"

Miriallia gave a hopeless little laugh. "I knew you'd catch on, L. I don't think anyone's ever been able to pull anything on you. And I know it's bad of me, but goddamnit, it's like a drug, watching _his_ face when I'm with someone else, and I'm just so angry…"

Lacus smiled kindly, her work done. "I understand, Miriallia. I'm so sorry to pry."

Just then, Sai came back from the restroom.

"Kira, let's go to the bar for a moment," suggested Lacus, and Kira followed her away from the table, and through the crowd. Once they were out of sight, Kira smiled at his girlfriend.

"You're sneaky, Lacus Clyne," he said, leading her into a dim alcove, where the blasting music was a little muted.

She smiled beatifically up at him, and he couldn't help but softly kiss her.

When they broke apart, she said simply, "Dearka looked too torn up about it, and I know Mir is too. She'll start thinking about everything, and eventually, if I know her, she'll stop. Sai's a nice person."

He nodded, and drew her into his arms, and for a moment, neither of them spoke, listening to the outside noise and each other's steady breathing, before heading back to the table.

Cagalli was pulling him by the hand, and when she stopped walking, he gave a startled laugh.

"You're a genius," Athrun said. She had led him to the third floor, which had been turned into an atrium-type space. Planters filled with giant, exotic trees and flowers filled the space, and there were less people dancing up here than on the first floor, though it was still fairly crowded. Cagalli had discovered that four planters had been arranged to form a hollow square, and had lead Athrun into the little enclosed space, about eight feet by eight feet. The dense plant stalks and leaves made it impossible for them to see out, and impossible for other people to see in, and also dimmed the already low lights.

"Nah, that's Kira," said Cagalli lightly. "But do you really want to discuss my brother right now?"

Athrun sat down, and she plopped down into his lap. "No, I don't think so," he said, his voice so low she could barely hear him over the music.

She felt his lips kiss her collarbone, then start to move up her neck, and she exhaled softly, leaning back so that her head fell onto his shoulder, her throat exposed.

Soon he had her dress bunched up around her waist, quite a feat, considering it was skin tight, and she had his pants unzipped. He ran a hand up her inner thigh, and she shuddered, her lips attached to his.

"God, you're beautiful," he said hoarsely, and attacked her mouth again. She bit down gently on his lip, and he groaned as her hand simultaneously pushed the waistband of his boxers down. She positioned herself over him hurriedly, her skin burning up, then smoothly, he thrust his hips up and she was gasping, moaning for him to fuck her, and they were moving in tandem, and he was saying her name, over and over…

She collapsed on top of him, sweaty and relaxed, trying to catch her breath. His hard chest was moving up and down rapidly underneath her, and he rested his chin on top of her head, inhaling the citrus-y smell of her hair.

"Again?" he asked huskily, teasing.

"We're having sex in a packed club behind some plants and if Kira walks in on us, we're as good as dead, but you, you bastard, are still fucking insatiable," she laughed.

"Is that a yes?"

Her cheeks tinted a little, but she snorted and said, "No, you idiot. I don't want my brother to die from rage, and," she whispered into his ear, "I don't want your crazed fangirls to see us and try to get a piece of your sexy ass, because, after all, if I give anybody a black eye, it would reflect badly on Orb."

Athrun laughed out loud, and hugged her tighter. "You, princess, are adorable."

"Is that the best description you have of me?" she sniffed disdainfully.

He smiled, and his forehead met hers so that he could hardly see anything but the indescribably golden shade of her eyes. "Of course not, C. You're _amusing_," he planted a kiss on her chin before she could protest, "and clever," a kiss on her cheek, "and loud," a kiss on the tip of her nose, "and insensible," a kiss on her forehead, "and so beautiful it hurts," he finished, with one last kiss on her eyelid, and she could see the very faintest pink color in his cheeks. She smiled softly, surprised at the unexpectedly sincere break in their usual banter. It wasn't often that she saw this side of Athrun, the softie beneath the cool, supremely competent exterior.

"Well, I'm glad you think so," she said, and chastely pressed her lips to his.

"And I'm glad you think my ass is sexy," he drawled, and she gasped indignantly, her cheeks reddening a little.

"Argghh, you idiot! I'm going to take it back if you insist on using it against me!"

He merely chuckled and ran a hand through her luxurious blonde hair.

When Lacus and Kira arrived back at their table, Sai and Mir were talking about some movie that had just come out, though Mir kept glancing over her shoulder and over the railing of the balcony, to the dance floor four stories below, and each time becoming more and more agitated and distracted.

Kira, curious as to what was making Miriallia so flustered, peered over the railing, Lacus at his side.

Crowds of people were dancing, making it difficult to spot anything specific, but finally, Kira felt Lacus tugging on his arm. She silently pointed to a dusty blonde head over by a wall. He instantly recognized the guy as Dearka, who appeared to be pressing somebody to the wall. The dusty blonde head moved a little, and Kira could see a dark head moving with it.

_Ahhh…I see_.

The couple joined their friends, and Kira and Lacus exchanged knowing looks when Mir took yet another look over the railing, this time scarcely bothering to keep her agitation concealed from Sai, who finally asked what was wrong. There was slight color in Miriallia's cheeks as she denied anything being wrong, but her bright eyes were fiery with anger, not really concentrating on Sai's concerned visage.

Kira kept one eye on Dearka's movements and the other on Mir, and caught the moment when Dearka left the girl he had been all over and headed towards the stairs to the fifth floor, while Miriallia simultaneously bristled.

When the blonde arrived at their table, Miriallia shot him an acidic glare before staring determinedly over Kira's shoulder and away from Dearka's face.

Dearka blinked at her confusedly, then shot Kira a what-did-I-do-now look.

"Hello Dearka," said Lacus demurely, breaking the uncomfortable silence, since Sai was looking between Dearka and Mir with narrowed eyes.

"Lacus," he responded, but before he could say anything else, Miriallia interrupted.

"Have fun?" she asked coldly.

A flush appeared on Dearka's cheeks that could be seen even through his dark skin. "Loads. Why shouldn't I have?" he shot back.

Miriallia sniffed. "Did I imply that you shouldn't have had fun?"

"Did I imply that you implied that?" he asked.

"I would say so, yes," she said disdainfully.

"I'm sure I didn't mean to, Miss Haww, so I'm very sorry if you take offense," Dearka said, sarcasm dripping from every nuance. "Though I must say, I didn't think that whatever I have been doing is of any interest to you."

She merely shook her hair out, and said, "I could care less."

Dearka dropped into a seat and snatched a quarter full bottle of vodka from the table, and downed it quickly, and Kira could see that his hands were clenched around the smooth glass. Sai made an incredulous noise at Dearka's drinking abilites, but the blonde ignored him and lighted a cigarette.

Miriallia returned to staring over Kira's shoulder, though she began smoking again.

Lacus daintily called a waiter over and ordered a few more cocktails, watching the former couple from the corner of her eyes. Kira added his own order, then asked the others if they wanted anything. Sai asked for a milder beverage, but Dearka and Mirialla did not break their stony silence.

As the waiter left, Sai jumped a little, shaking the table, and reached into his pocket for his vibrating phone. They all turned to shoot him questioning looks, but he merely said that he had to go outside to take a call. He bent and kissed Mir conspicuously on the lips before leaving.

The redhead's hands shook a little as she chanced a glance over at Dearka's stormy face, and she accidentally dropped her cigarette. Cursing wildly, she fumbled for her purse, biting down onto her lip, but Dearka silently tapped her on the shoulder, and handed her his cigarette. They avoided each other's eyes, and Kira and Lacus exchanged knowing smiles.

Athrun was leading Cagalli by the hand towards the table, nodding coolly at the multitude of people who popped up in their path to say hello. When the couple got there, they found Kira and Lacus smirking immaturely, Miriallia smoking heavily, Sai absent, and Dearka pretending that he wasn't watching the redhead's every move. Eyebrow raised, Athrun slid into the seat Sai had vacated. Cagalli sat down next to him, and immediately ordered a gourmet steak sandwich from the waiter, extra sauce and no vegetables, announcing that she was absolutely starved. The other girls at Archangel had always stared enviously at Cagalli's laden plates, unable to comprehend how she could eat so much so often and still stay slender as a reed.

Kira took in Athrun and Cagallis' flushed appearances, but decided that he really did not want to know what his best friend and twin had been up to. Instead, he ordered the same meal Cagalli had, but with the addition of vegetables, and Athrun followed suit. The brunette nudged Dearka, who was _always_ hungry, but the blonde mumbled noncommittally and continued to alternate between drinking, staring at the table, and staring at Mir. Lacus and Mir declined to order politely, and the waiter hurried off, flushed from the benevolent smile the beautiful pink-haired girl had bestowed upon him when he had asked for her order.

Said beauty's boyfriend snorted into his drink. Athrun and Cagalli reached for a bottle of rum at the same time, and after a brief staring contest, Athrun leaned over and whispered something into Cagalli's ear. She turned slightly pink and uncharacteristically relinquished the bottle, instead settling for more champagne while her boyfriend smirked triumphantly and took a swig of his prize.

Dearka didn't even attempt to crack a crude joke, and Cagalli, both eyebrows raised high, belatedly realized the silent game that he and Mir were playing.

_Hmmmm…_

Sai suddenly appeared by Miriallia's side, and she dropped her cigarette again, surprised. She cursed loudly, but her cheeks flamed red as she hurriedly dismissed Sai's offer of another cigarette, avoiding Dearka's gaze, hoping that the blonde would not offer her another in front of Sai. She really did not feel like explaining this situation to her old frie—_boy_friend.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	3. Chapter 2, Part 1

**Welcome to the Jungle**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable. Rated M for sex, drugs, and rock and roll (along with a healthy serving of bad language).

* * *

_Breaking my back just to know your name  
Seventeen tracks and I've had it with this game  
I'm breaking my back just to know your name  
But heaven ain't close in a place like this  
Anything goes but don't blink you might miss  
Cause heaven ain't close in a place like this  
I said heaven ain't close in a place like this  
Bring it back down, bring it back down tonight  
Never thought I'd let a rumor ruin my moonlight_

Somebody Told Me, The Killers

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO, PART ONE.**  
Somebody Told Me

* * *

From "Scandalous, Isn't It?":

"…and here, readers, as promised, is the dirty on what's going on with the people everyone wants to be. Our story begins at CC, the club _everybody's_ talking about. The club is always jam packed with millionaires and celebrities and wannabes (however did they get in? The door policy is legendary) galore. Last night, students from a certain Academy were also part of the debauchery. Of course, this meant said Academy's royalty had to put in an appearance. And boy, did they make an _appearance_. They arrived in a sexy black sports car, driven by A (is there anything about this boy that _isn't_ sexy?), and drove fans wild before heading inside, where they were wordlessly given the best seats in the house. After smoking more than a few ciggies and drinking more than a little bit of alcohol, a member of their circle, D (son of an illustrious politician and playboy), put in an appearance, looking rather distraught—perhaps because of a certain M (whose face and body has graced ad campaign after ad campaign)? The aforementioned model arrived on the arm of S, scion of a certain family involved heavily in technology, after going out earlier this week with the same man. Word on the streets is that S was confined to the dorms of the Academy after being a little naughty with his smoking habits—I wonder what "punishment" this little outing will merit. S and M were getting a cozy at the Four's table, and D wandered sullenly off, an opportunity for V to plaster her tight little gymnasts' ass all over him—side note: it takes more than a juicy breakup to make D lose his gorgeous looks. It seems, however, that M got a little…ah…possessive of D, for she spent the rest of the night glaring at him and ignoring her boyfriend. Do I sense a showdown coming up? I'm on D's team, if only for the boys' ridiculously toned abs. While this was happening among the members of the court, the King and Queen themselves—well, one set, anyway—snuck off to slow dance to a techno beat, and then disappeared for the next hour or so, though there are reports that C and A got a little…ah…hot under the cover of a few measly plants; a full description of their alleged activities would be inconsiderate to the faint of heart. K and L, like always, surveyed everything serenely, but they themselves indulged a little bit in each other. Overall, not a bad night, not a bad night at all, my dear readers, though I do predict more delicious little scandals on the horizon."

* * *

Lacus Clyne and Cagalli Yula Atha were seated at their customary table in the common room of the girls' dorms. The latter was devouring an omelet and a Bloody Mary while the former demurely chewed on a croissant with café au lait. The door to the big, airy room, still silent this soon after dawn, opened with a slight squeak, and without looking over, Lacus waved to the tall boy that strode in. Athrun Zala's hair was pushed back casually from his forehead, and his t-shirt was plastered to his chest by sweat. He was dressed in black sweats, and looked ridiculously fresh for such an early hour; it was his custom to take a long run at dawn before joining the two girls. Kira, a notoriously late riser, never joined them before nine o' clock on weekdays, and even then he was still half-asleep. The rest of the students were also ordinarily asleep until eight, when the dorms began to rouse themselves to prepare, grudgingly, for school, most people complaining about the results of their late nights out.

Walking over, Athrun dropped a sweaty kiss on Cagalli's forehead as she made a face of mock disgust and pecked him back. He had just sat down and grabbed a muffin off the table when the door unexpectedly burst open a second time. Cagalli set her glass down with a thud, Athrun slowly lowered his food, and Lacus demurely wiped her hands as Kira Yamato stepped inside, a strange look on his face. He hadn't yet changed out of his pajamas, and was still wearing only boxers with a robe haphazardly thrown on top. He nodded to his best friends, and sat at the last place.

"Any reason for the time, K?" asked Cagalli, more than a little puzzled.

"Sai's hysterics woke me up, and I thought it would be best if I put as much distance in between them and me as possible," he said, the slightest trace of tension in his voice.

"Hysterics?" asked Athrun, eyebrow raised. "I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Did he get caught sneaking out? He could get out of that without any fuss."

"You left before he went to get the paper."

"The paper?"

Kira held out a bedraggled newspaper as explanation, which Athrun spread open on the table, Lacus and Cagalli leaning in to read too.

"There isn't anything strange here, K," said the blonde.

"Keep reading."

At the second to last page, buried in a corner, was a small piece that had almost been torn out. Lacus sighed when she read it through, pointing it out to the other two.

Cagalli was furious. Eyes blazing, she exclaimed, "Fucking hell! Tabloids I can take, rumors and whatever shit they can come up with, but what the hell is _this_? This is ridiculous! I can't believe this was published!"

"I can," said Athrun levelly. "Think about it. This person is obviously one of us, which means he or she has connections that would get the piece into the paper. I bet that those connections would ensure it stays published even if we tried to get it out. It really isn't too dissimilar to tabloids; after all, who but people here would know if any of it were true?"

"It isn't the that there's gossip that bothers me, it's the fact that someone _here_ would sell out. If they start getting anything to back this up, which is a huge possibility, since they've the same access we do, they'll ruin our reps with the people outside the City! I can't have that at all!"

"It also has the added factor of changing the landscape here, because now we can monitor what everyone's doing," said Lacus quietly, pensive.

"Sai's already pissed, Mir's going to have a hell of a time explaining to him," said Kira.

"If she even bothers," said Cagalli, who was calming down a little—as long as the column did not get definitive proof, it wasn't anything more than a gossip rag.

Kira smiled a little. "She will, it's her style. I don't think it's that bad, though it does bother me that there's someone that can hit the truth."

Athrun nodded, and grabbed a cup of coffee. "So what did Sai do?"

"Let out a bloody shriek when he saw it. I don't think he's ever had anything circulating about him before, he didn't really do much until he started with Mir."

Cagalli snorted. "What I would give to see his face. Has Dearka seen this?"

"Because, of _course_, he's always up before eight," said Athrun wryly. "He could sleep through a nuclear war."

"I would like to know who it is that's writing this up, though," said Lacus, trailing a finger around the rim of her mug.

"Meer _must_ have something to do with this," Cagalli laughed slightly. "The stalker tendencies are giving it away." Meer Campbell, the daughter of a wealthy merchant family and a year younger than them, was _obsessed_ with Lacus.

"Nah, otherwise it would've been devoted entirely to Lacus," retorted Athrun.

"Do you think it's someone our year, then?" asked Kira.

"Is it even someone in the school?" Lacus said.

"Well, there are a few things that would be easier to explain if the writer was a student," said Athrun. "Like how they knew that Sai got in trouble, and how they know so many details about Mir and Dearka."

"It bothers me that he's using first initials," Cagalli muttered. "He might as well use full fucking names."

"He or she is using obvious names in an act of bitterness," Athrun said reasonably. "They're angry."

"But there's nothing we can do right now. I'll have some of my people make inquiries, but we should see how often these are being published, and if we can discern methods of observation," Kira said, quickly running through their options. "However…we probably won't be able to stop them. We should just blow them off as the typical trash."

Cagalli nodded. "Alright."

* * *

When Kira Yamato, Lacus Clyne, Athrun Zala, and Cagalli Yula Atha walked down a hallway, the crowd parted for them like the Red Sea. It was their custom to walk four abreast, with the girls in the middle, always presenting a front to the other students. Since birth, they had been members of the glittery, hollow world of the upper crust, and they knew that, to maintain power at school, and ultimately afterwards, they would always have to be impassive, impressive, and unapproachable at times when their power was in doubt. It was a dog eat dog world, even if the dogs were wearing designer denim and sporting three hundred dollar manicures.

This morning there was a current of unease in the air. As a result of Sai's episode, the entire school was poring over the little article. Though they had almost all been, at one time or another, in some gossip rag, enough of them had been at Copernicus last night to glimpse some truth, and the rumors were spreading like wildfire.

_It was to be expected_, Lacus thought rationally. Entertainment was hard to come by when you had everything at your fingertips, and this…this was truly intriguing. Their world of money and power had been exposed by one of their own, and most had yet to decide if this was a blessing or a curse.

Cagalli used all the willpower she possessed to keep her face blank, though her eyes betrayed her, fiery and fierce. Athrun had no such problem—his face was completely wiped, a handsome statue of the coldest marble. Kira looked passive, his expression neutral, but his eyes examined each face that turned to look at them as they passed. Lacus, as always, was perfectly serene.

The Four looked particularly impressive today, and Lacus knew that it was to assert to the students that they were still them, to ensure that their place remained the same in the aftermath of the strange article. Cagalli was wearing a long, military style blazer and a tight top with leather pants; Lacus was in a gauzy pale pink day dress embellished with roses, made of the finest silk; Kira sported his trademark beaten leather jacket over a navy Oxford shirt, and dark jeans; and Athrun was in a tailored black blazer over a burgundy dress shirt and black denim.

Mir met up with them in the Main Courtyard, which was at the center of all the classroom buildings. Paved in brick, shaded by tall oaks, and dotted with wrought iron benches and tables, the courtyard emanated a serene, Old World feel that was further perpetrated by a marble fountain of the school's founder in its center. The morning sun glinted off Miriallia's bright hair, lending it blondish highlights, as she hurried towards the Four. She was dressed in an embroidered baby blue shift dress, and attracted more than one appreciative glance as she passed by the basketball team.

Before she could say anything, Cagalli said, "Yes, we've seen the article. No, we haven't done anything about it yet."

Mir grimaced, looking stressed. "Ugh, this is going to be a long day."

* * *

Dearka woke up a half an hour late, and even though he knew classes would start very soon, he couldn't bring himself to get up yet. Bright sunlight streamed through the windows of the dorm room, and he squinted against the glare.

There was a pounding sound, and he realized that someone was knocking hard on the door.

_Jesus. It's way too early for this._

He decided to ignore the knocking and concentrated on the pounding inside his head. He had developed a pretty high tolerance of the human vices over the years, but this morning was not turning out to be a good one for him.

The knocking continued, increasing in intensity rather than lessening to indicate weariness.

_Motherfucker._

The pounding noise was making him disoriented, jittery, and aggravating his headache.

He cursed and reluctantly pulled himself out of bed. Anything to make the damn noise stop. He didn't bother to pull on any clothes over the basketball shorts he'd worn to sleep—Dearka was many things, but shy was not one of them.

He wrenched the door open halfway, and was a more than a little shocked to see Sai Argyle standing outside in the hallway, red-faced.

His eyebrows shot up, but he didn't say anything, waiting for Sai to initiate conversation.

"Finally!" the other boy blustered. "I've been trying to find you for hours!"

"Uh…alright?" responded Dearka, too tired to voice the snarky comment that had automatically popped into his head.

"Have you read this?!" Sai said, and shoved a newspaper in Dearka's face.

Dearka shoved the paper away, _really_ irritated now.

"Why should I?" he asked mulishly.

"Read it!"

It was so uncharacteristic of Sai to demand something in such a forceful way that Dearka raised his brows still farther and decided to just read the damn newspaper for the hell of it.

He read the bit through, and carefully rearranged his face into a neutral expression.

"How fascinating," he drawled, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

Sai's face grew even redder, and he blustered unintelligibly for a bit before he said, loudly, "Fascinating! You—Miri! They're talking about my girlfriend….and _you_." The disgust in his voice was thinly veiled.

Dearka snorted, and carelessly crumpled the paper up into a ball and threw it to Sai, who caught it with the tips of his fingers.

"It's a tabloid. What's the big deal? Or has precious Sai never seen one before? I could explain it, if you like," Dearka said, uninterestedly, already turning back into the room.

"You—you bastard!" Sai said, going positively tomato red, anger making him rather stupid. "You think she's just another of your toys, another conquest that you can smirk over! You don't even care her happiness with _me_ is being…being damaged with this bit—,"

Before Sai could get out the rest of his sentence, Dearka's uninterested exterior had molted into one of cold fury, and in one smooth move, the blonde had drawn Sai into the room, letting the door close with a bang. Dearka had Sai pinned to the wall by the throat, and was barely two inches from his face. Sai's eyes were still defiant, but Dearka could see the hint of intimidation, and the condescension still lurking beneath the surface.

"Do not," the blonde growled, low and threatening. "Do not speak to me about not caring about Miriallia again."

Sai didn't respond, still glaring malevolently.

Dearka stared at him one moment longer, then seemed to shake off the fury, and his expression melted into one of contempt. He stepped back from Sai like he had the plague, and held the door open.

Sai massaged his throat warily, and opened his mouth again, but before he could speak, a hint of the dark anger flashed in Dearka's eyes again.

"Go," the blonde said roughly. And Sai left with a backward glance full of disgust.

Dearka slammed the door closed, and leaned back against it, cursing himself. He'd lost his cool _again_. It wasn't him, this showy rage.

But that bastard had deserved it. He allowed himself a slight smirk, but it just became a heavy sigh.

This mess about _her_ was throwing him off, spinning everything out of control. Almost nothing he knew he really knew anymore. He'd let her so far inside him that he could _feel_ her absence. The only thing that he could say with all truthfulness was that he had—_did_—care about her, so much more than anything else before, with the possible exception of his old friendships.

And really, Sai had been no one to question that.

_Or maybe he had,_ said the taunting little voice inside his head. _After all, he is Mir's boyfriend now. And he's known her for so much longer than you have. Maybe you're the one that's wrong about everything…and he's the one that's right._

That stung. He glanced up for a distraction, any distraction, and his eyes landed on the clock.

Classes had started two minutes ago.

_Fucking hell!_ If the headmaster complained one more time, his father would blow a gasket. The two older men had served in the military together, and the former was not afraid to complain about Dearka if he crossed the line, unlike with the other students.

He hurriedly pulled on a white Oxford shirt and khakis, wincing when he caught sight of himself, blonde hair—once painstakingly styled—in complete disarray, and dark bags underneath his lavender eyes.

_Dearka, man, what have you done to yourself?_

He shook his head roughly, and sprinted out of the room after grabbing his messenger bag.

* * *

_to be continued..._


	4. Chapter 2, Part 2

**Welcome to the Jungle**

Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable. Rated M for sex, drugs, and rock and roll (along with a healthy serving of bad language).

* * *

_Breaking my back just to know your name  
Seventeen tracks and I've had it with this game  
I'm breaking my back just to know your name  
But heaven ain't close in a place like this  
Anything goes but don't blink you might miss  
Cause heaven ain't close in a place like this  
I said heaven ain't close in a place like this  
Bring it back down, bring it back down tonight  
Never thought I'd let a rumor ruin my moonlight_

-Somebody Told Me, The Killers

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO, PART TWO.**  
Somebody Told Me

* * *

When Dearka arrived in Home Room, the professor had already begun her announcements for the morning.

Nothing was out of place. The seats were arranged in rows that curved to form a semicircle. Cagalli and Kira were sitting next to each other in the center of the back row, with Athrun on Kira's other side and Lacus on Cagalli's other side. Miriallia was next to Lacus, and Yzak Joule, the silver-haired scion of one of the bluest blue-blood families in the world, was next to Athrun. The rest of their group, whether friends or hangers on, were arranged around them—Dearka noted with a slight tightening of his jaw that Sai was next to Miriallia, his seat pulled close to the redhead's—except for the empty seat next to Yzak, where Dearka normally sat. Nothing was out of place, but there was a strange new quality to the air.

"Ahem." The professor cleared her throat disapprovingly at Dearka, and he flashed her his most charming smile, though he could feel how wrong it was on his face today.

The professor, instead of completely softening and looking flattered, as she normally did under the influence of that smile, only shook her head and gestured for him to take a seat, though she didn't seem too angry.

Dearka ran a hand wearily through his hair. The world just hated him today. He slid into his seat, not bothering to look back at the faces that turned towards him in slight surprise. It wasn't too unusual for Dearka to be late, but for Dearka to look like he'd spent the last several nights—gods forbid—poring over physics textbooks? There was something wrong with that picture.

When the bell rang, the students flooded out of the room, heading towards their first period class, but Dearka got up slowly.

Yzak Joule stood next to the blonde's desk, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You look like shit," the silver-haired boy said flatly, his blue eyes as icy as ever.

Dearka looked up at his best friend, but didn't even bother to respond.

The classroom was empty now, except for Dearka, Yzak, the Four, who were facing each other, talking about something, and Miriallia, who lingered in the doorway, though Sai was pulling her into the hall. With one last glance at Dearka, in which there could be detected the slightest hint of worry, she allowed herself to emerge into the chaos outside the room.

Athrun, abandoning his own conversation, leaned over to his two childhood playmates, frowned slightly, and said, "Late night?"

He knew that it was a pointless question, because Dearka, of all people, never showed signs of a late night full of partying, but asked anyways.

Dearka pulled his bag over his head so that the strap crossed his chest, and said mechanically, "No."

"You're pathetic," Yzak burst out, his temper as out of control as ever, blue eyes firing up. "It's the girl again, isn't it?"

Dearka turned around to face Yzak, and for a second, looked as if he were about to punch him. The moment faded quickly, and the blonde merely said, again, "No."

Athrun at least seemed to appear to accept this, and instead pushed in another direction.

"It's the article?" he questioned calmly, trying to get Dearka to relax into his normal persona. He was fairly sure Dearka had yet to hear about it, having, apparently, slept in, and wanted to distract Dearka with the news.

The blonde suddenly cursed loudly, and Cagalli, further away, stopped mid-sentence, and looked over curiously, one eyebrow raised, Kira and Lacus following suit with slightly more tact.

"That fucking article is screwing up my life," Dearka muttered darkly.

"How did you even hear about it?" asked Cagalli. "I thought you slept in."

"Argyle," Dearka said shortly.

Athrun's brows shot up. "I see. You don't, by any chance, know why he got to class with fresh bruises, ranting about entitled douchebags?"

But Dearka pretended not to hear, as he was already halfway to the classroom door.

Yzak, whose temper had been stewing in the time he'd been silent, started after him, but Athrun said, "He has to get to class," and Yzak turned on the blue-haired boy instead, which was probably the first entirely normal thing that had happened at Archangel all morning.

Dearka was heading out to the quad for the lunch break, still in a dark mood, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Ready to take the mickey out of whoever had stopped him, he whirled around, freezing when he saw that it was Miriallia Haww.

After a tense moment, in which they stared at each other blankly, Dearka looked away and said, roughly, "What?"

The redhead looked extremely uncomfortable, biting on her bottom lip nervously.

"Are you…are you okay?" she asked hesitantly, sounding like she was unsure whether it was her place to ask. Before they'd started going out, they had been close friends, part of the core of the group. That was all gone, now.

Dearka fought back the urge to give a bitter bark of laughter. Did she _really_ think he was okay? Why was she even bothering with him? As recently as last night, she'd have been happy if she never saw him again.

But really, how could he tell her the truth?

Instead, he smoothed his expression into a blank slate, and said, "I'm fine."

She didn't believe him, she knew him better than that, but he could see on her beautiful face that she was wondering if she should, could, probe deeper.

He could see it when she decided to take a chance, and something inside him gave a little lurch.

"Could you tell me the truth, please?" she asked, and he heard the hint of determination in her voice. Now that she'd decided on something, she'd be stubborn as a mule about it.

He bit back a curse, he could never deny her anything, and said shortly, "Fine. I'm not fine."

She seemed slightly happier after her small victory.

Instinctively, he shot a barb back at her, on the defensive now, willing himself not to give anything else up. "Where's your boyfriend?"

Better to make her hate him, to keep the distance around himself.

She looked surprised, and he could see the little crease form on her forehead as she narrowed her turquoise eyes at him.

"Somewhere," she snapped back. "What's wrong with you?"

He snorted, and started to walk again. "Everything, apparently."

She kept up with his stride, and caught his eye again before planting herself solidly in his path.

"Dearka," she said, and her voice implored and commanded, was pleading and hard, all at once.

"Stop it," he spat, eyes hard and glaring, suddenly so angry and so tired, weary of this game they played, weary of how she was unconsciously taunting him. "You washed your hands of me, Miriallia. Just forget about it."

She took a step back, and he felt both remorse and triumph, satisfaction that he could injure her back, at the hurt on her face.

The remorse won over, though, and he sighed. "Look, never mind. I'm going to go to Globe to grab lunch. I'll see you later."

He made to leave, but her hand on his arm stopped him, and he looked down at her to see the same damned old stubbornness again.

"I'm going with you," she said, and the tone of her voice dared him to challenge her.

"Oh yeah? What happened to Sai?" he said, but she knew she'd already won this battle when his eyes softened.

_She's too beautiful for her own good,_ he thought moodily, but with no real resentment. He was glad to be with her again.

The Globe was a small, secluded café around the corner that Archangel students frequented—it opened early and stayed open late, and as such was the perfect watering hole.

Dearka and Miriallia opened and walked out of the gates of their school, each too absorbed in trying to figure out what the other was thinking to notice that students, sunning themselves on benches scattered here and there, were staring at the pair of them going somewhere together…alone. Among those students was Kuzzy Buskirk, Sai's best friend.

They walked along the fairly crowded street, still not speaking, until Dearka asked, awkwardly, "So how are you?"

She gave him a slight half-smile, and said, "Not too bad. Landed another editorial with _Gemma_ magazine and getting ready for Fashion Week."

"Congratulations," he responded, and found that he was genuinely happy that she was succeeding in the career that she loved so much.

"Thank you." She gave a real smile now, but sobered when she asked, "How's your dad?"

Tad Elsman was a misleadingly affable, cutthroat businessman, but he had had a heart attack two months ago, and was still weak.

Dearka's lips thinned. "He's still recovering. He's getting better, though." Miriallia was one of the few people who knew just how severe the attack had been, having been with Dearka when he found out, and had faithfully kept the secret away from the other students and the press. The father and son were not particularly close, but were still affectionate.

"That's good," the redhead said softly, and impulsively brushed his hand.

Dearka stiffened before relaxing at her touch on his bare skin, and said, "Yeah. He'll be fine by the end of the year, with some luck."

She smiled happily, and one corner of his lips turned up in automatic response. By now, they had reached the café, and could see various Academy students milling around inside.

They were greeted with a rush of air-conditioned air as they walked through the doors, and the smell of cinnamon and coffee.

Again, they didn't notice the inquisitive stares as they got in line, Dearka now listening in amusement as Miriallia mischievously recited the scandals of various other models. When it was their turn, Dearka easily ordered a sandwich and black coffee for him, and a croissant and a latte for Miriallia, out of force of habit. Neither felt the oddness of this scene like the Archangel students, who were observing, did—after all, they had broken up relatively recently. It was just something they had always done.

Miriallia took the tray of food as Dearka paid the cashier, as they had done hundreds of times before, and they headed towards a small corner table.

The redhead kept up her stream of gossip, and Dearka found himself responding to her naturally, without any of the stiltedness they had been enduring. Her eyes were sparkling with laughter, and he was smiling back.

"And so Leila goes into the studio and shreds every single last piece of clothing with her _nails_, then paints her name all over the walls with red paint. When the designer came in the next morning, he _fainted_. It was batshit crazy," Miriallia said with relish.

Dearka snorted. "Why not just piss on everything and mark her territory? So much more impact, so much less effort," he drawled. Miriallia stared at him for a moment, then cracked up. For all her delicate graces, Miriallia Haww had the same sense of humor as a hardened sailor, something she shared with Dearka.

He chuckled at her, ignorant of the attention they were attracting.

"I'll pass on that piece of advice to her," she grinned.

"God, I'll have every designer in the city on me," he said, imagining a mob of flamboyantly dressed men chasing him down with tailor shears.

"In more ways than one," she said, with a lascivious wink, and it was his turn to laugh out loud at how daringly blunt she could be.

They continued to banter as they picked up their trash and threw it away, making their way out of the door.

The afternoon sun was shining brightly down, and Dearka found himself minding a lot less than he had this morning, Miriallia walking close by his side, their arms brushing.

A tall, thin girl with a shock of bright blonde hair swept pass them, giving Miriallia a disparaging look, and Dearka saw the redhead's jaw drop.

"What, Milly?" he asked, savoring the sound of his personal nickname for her.

"That was Leila!" she gasped. "Speak of the devil. Hey, Dearka, I _dare_ you to give her your advice."

Dearka grinned, face lit up with mischief, and, turning around, called out loudly, "Hey! Leila!"

The blonde turned around, with an expression on her face like she'd smelled something terribly bad.

"What?" she asked imperiously. "What the hell do you want?"

"I heard about your success with Giovanni. Congratulations, though I _do_ recommend pissing on the clothes next time," he hollered back, and several people on the street turned to stare, appalled, at him, though he could not have cared less about making a public spectacle. Leila's jaw dropped, and she gaped wordlessly like a fish before she huffed and hurried into Globe, shooting him a venomous glare.

Miriallia's eyes were wide with shock when he faced her.

"Hey, I saved you from the torture of speaking to her, alright? You should be thankful," he said with a slight smirk.

And she started laughing so hard she doubled over, gasping incoherent words. Dearka, feeling pretty satisfied with himself, waited for her to gather her wits again.

Wiping tears of mirth off her face, she said gleefully, "That was the _funniest_ fucking thing _ever_! You are such an asshole, Dearka! Did you see that look on her face?! I didn't think mouths could open that wide! Jesus, she's going to _kill_ me!"

Smirking, he only shrugged. "I'm sure you can take her, Milly."

She shook her head, still giggling. "Hey, I'm blaming all of this on _you_! I had _nothing_ to do with this!"

He gasped in mock outrage. "_Excuse_ me? You were the one that dared me to do it, and Dearka Elsman never turns down a dare."

She rolled her eyes. "Psh, yeah _right_, O fearless one."

"Yeah, that _is_ right," he boasted. "I'm not afraid of any dare!"

She raised an eyebrow at him, and leaned closer, and suddenly, they both sobered up, realizing just how close they were. Frozen, he searched her face.

He could see the dare in her eyes, but he couldn't tell whether she was being serious, or merely defying him. W_hat should I do?_

His blood was pounding in his veins, and he was teetering on the precipice, wanting so badly to fall over, and just…

His lips met hers, and he could feel the shudder that ran through her frame. She responded with intensity, her hands gripping his shoulders, and he willed this to never stop, this give and take game that they were playing.

Eventually, though, they did break apart, their breath ragged as they leaned on each other. Dearka tried not to think, tried to just soak up everything about this moment.

She swallowed hard, and said, "That was wrong."

"I'm not sorry," he said, meaning it.

"I'm…I'm not sorry about…kissing you back," she admitted. He could hear the unspoken condition.

"But…?"

"It's not something I would do again," she said softly. "Dearka, it was wrong."

He exhaled sharply. He was not particularly surprised, but some bit of him had still hoped for her back, and it hurt. He took a step back from her, trying to clear his head, closing his eyes and missing her torn expression.

"I…see," he said, woodenly.

There was an uncomfortable silence, Miriallia looking down at the ground, blinking away the tears starting to form in her eyes, and Dearka trying to control himself.

"I…miss you," she whispered.

It hit him like a blow. _Why was she doing this to him? _ She was taunting him, snatching away his goal, what he had been fighting for, at the very last second, and then dangling it in front of his face again.

He stepped even farther back. "We need to get back before the next class."

He started walking down the street towards Archangel again, not checking to see if she was following him.

Miriallia felt empty, drained of everything and anything. After a moment, she started walking back to school too, but far behind Dearka.


End file.
